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Working With Clients

The Ugly Truth About Client Work

Confession:

It’s hard to say no to clients who want to hire you.

Especially if you got into freelancing as a way to break out of a low-paying job.

Turning down money feels plain wrong.

And look, in the beginning, you do what you’ve gotta do to put food on the table.

No questions asked.

But once you’re beyond that first level…

Your default answer for prospective clients should be no.

Here’s why:

Not everyone is a good fit to work with you.

This could be because of the market they’re in or the type of business they run…

How they prefer to communicate…

What their expectations are about the work you do or results you can provide…

Or simply the way they view the world.

Point is:

Ignoring red or even yellow flags just to secure the bag almost always leads to frustration and regret on both sides.

So don’t make that mistake.

Develop a strong filter and get clear on what a “perfect fit” client looks like.

Then make sure you stay true to that as often as possible.

Making the Rounds

• Anthropic’s new Claude model can control your computer
  
  

• AI search engine Perplexity launches a native Mac app

  
  

• The battle between AI and media companies is heating up
  
  

• Apple’s first iOS 18.2 beta adds more AI features and ChatGPT integration
  
  

• LinkedIn reports increase in CEO activity
  
  

• Perplexity CEO proposes revenue deals for publishers after lawsuit

Working For Yourself

How to Find the Energy Vampires Lurking On Your Calendar

Ever heard of a time audit?

This is an exercise where you track how you spend your time for a 7-day period.

The point is to cultivate awareness about how much time you’re really putting into different tasks, and then reflect on whether that aligns with your stated priorities.

Well, the time audit’s got a younger sibling that’s not quite as popular…

But can have an even greater impact on your happiness and productivity day-to-day.

It’s called an energy audit.

Here’s how it works:

Instead of looking at how much time you spend on each task to see if it aligns with your priorities…

Look at everything on your calendar and ask:

✅ Did this fill me up with energy? Did I feel more energized after?
❌ Or did this drain me of energy? Did I feel more fatigued after?

It’s a simple assessment.

But the results can be pretty eye-opening.

Because if you’re spending the bulk of your days and weeks on tasks that drain you of energy…

Then you’ll probably feel fatigued, frustrated, or even burned out.

Meanwhile, if you’re spending the lion’s share of your time on tasks that gas you up…

Then you’ll probably feel excited, motivated, and inspired.

So the next step is to rearrange your calendar (as much as you can) to have less energy vampire work and more of the stuff that fills up your tank.

Give this a try and let us know how it goes.

AI Prompts For Freelancers

Prompt of the Week: The Brand Name Generator

This AI prompt is designed to help you come up with a brand name for a new business.

Here is the prompt:

Click here to see an example output

Tool of the Week

Find the Perfect Domain For Your Next Side Hustle With Namecheap

Spoiler alert:

You don’t need a premium domain name to build a successful online business.

It’s kinda like having a sleek business card…

Something that makes YOU feel good, but doesn’t have much impact on your customers.

But then again…

It does feel pretty great to find the PERFECT domain for a new biz idea, doesn’t it?

(If you saw our combined domain portfolio, you’d know we think so.)

However, if you’re like us and struggle to resist the temptation to spend like drunken sailors just to acquire a domain you’re convinced you HAVE to have…

Well, then you’ll want to check out Namecheap.

They’re our go-to domain registrar because they offer domains for less across 400+ extensions.

And while it may not amount to much on a single domain…

Savings like these add up quick for any aspiring digital landlord with a growing collection of domain names.

So if you’re in the market for a new domain…

Tap below to check out Namecheap:

Find your next domain on Namecheap

Bonus Points

💼 Work: How to escape the client trap & build a creative agency you love (link)

🤖 AI: Companies look past chatbots for AI payoff (link)

💪 Success: How Alez Hormozi made his first $10,000 online (link)